There’s been some confusion about the Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame. A wrong date was published (probably my fault) and the correction that appeared in The Sun (again, my fault) had wrong info about where to buy tickets. Sorry for the bad info, but I’m here to set it straight. If you have any questions after reading the information below, contact me at chuckstark00@gmail.com.
Here’s the skinny:
27TH KITSAP SPORTS HALL OF FAME BANQUET
When: Jan. 24, 2015; 11 a.m. social hour, noon
dinner and program
Where: Kiana Lodge, Poulsbo
Tickets: $30 in advance ($35 at the door). Send
check or money order to Kitsap Athletic Roundtable; P.O. Box 5707,
Bremerton, WA, 98312. Tickets also available at Kitsap Tennis &
Athletic Center (1909 NE John Carlson Rd, East Bremerton) and
Baymont Inn & Suites (5640 Kitsap Way, West Bremerton).
Sponsor: Kitsap Athletic Roundtable.
Presented by: The Suquamish Tribe and Port Madison
Enterprises.
More information: Email
Jodee.Strickland@aol.com.
WHO IS BEING HONORED?
Rex Brown Distinguished Service Award: Chuck Bullard, who died of cancer in March, and his wife, Sherry, will be honored for their years of service to the sport of wrestling. The award recognizes individuals or organization that have made an impact on the Kitsap sporting community. The Bullards were active leaders of USA Wrestling and Chuck co-founded the Silverdale-based Northwest Washington Wrestling Club, which made an impact not only locally, but throughout the state, and country.
Dick Todd Officials Award: Harold Conway, who has officiated volleyball and basketball for 39 years, is the recipient of this year’s award.
TEAMS:
1965 East High football team: First team in school history to beat rival West High, the Knights posted six shutouts in nine games and allowed just 26 points while winning the Olympic League championship and finishing as the No. 4-ranked team in the state.
1956-57 Olympic College basketball team: The Rangers won the 10-team Washington State Junior College Athletic Conference with a 13-1 record (20-3 overall). It was Phil Pescoe’s fifth championship team.
1984 Olympic High baseball team: Coached by Robin Campbell, the Trojans won the Class 2A state baseball championship 30 years ago, culminating a dream postseason run with a 6-5 victory over Eastmont in the championship game at the Kingdome.
INDIVIDUALS:
Ken Anderson: A multi-talented athlete (football, basketball, baseball), the 1980 Bremerton grad played baseball and football at Olympic College (All-NWAACC safety), and football at Central Washington, where he was the Wildcats Defensive Player of the Year. Anderson also starred on the softball diamond, first in slowpitch, later in fastpitch, at shortstop. He also coached Central Kitsap Junior High’s football team for 20 years, compiling a 102-21 record while winning 11 league titles and posting eight unbeaten seasons.
Seabury Blair Jr.: The Spokane native covered the outdoors, among other things, and he’s still writing columns and stories for The Sun, in addition to writing outdoor books and hiking guides.
Ted Brose: The 1980 South Kitsap grad, now living in Yakima, was among the first high-profile players that coach Ed Fisher sent to Washington. Brose was a Scholastic Coach Magazine High School All-American and all-state offensive lineman. He played on two Pac-10 championship teams (1980, ’81) at Washington, where he was a three-year letterman.
Mike Cheney: The standout athlete from South Kitsap was part of the 1984 Suquamish softball team that was inducted in 2013; this year he goes in on his own merits. Cheney was one of the best power hitters to come out of the region. Teammates called him “launch” and said he was a home-run hitting machine.
Darell Davis: Bremertons Davis was a three-time national junior American Motorcycle Champion by the time he was 15, and was racing a factory-backed Harley Davidson the following year. He won six motocross races in six days at Sturgis, North Dakota, and was leading the AMA world championship series when he was tragically killed while competing in Erie, New York, in 1987. He was 16 when he died.
Carol Dodd: She was among the dominant bowlers in the state during her era, averaging 192 during the 1980s when the conditions weren’t nearly as conducive to scoring as they are now. The Kitsap Bowling Association Hall of Famer and a 13-time KWBA all-star was a tough tournament bowler and has always given back to the sport, providing free lessons for juniors, seniors and anybody who asked.
Don Dow: The 1978 Bainbridge grad played in two Rose Bowls, a Sun Bowl and an Aloha Bowl and was drafted in the 12th round by the Seattle Seahawks in 1983. The offensive tackle landed with the 49ers, and didn’t play, but was on the team that won the 1985 Super Bowl. Based in Medford, Oregon, he has operated DowEvents, a corporate hospitality provider for events like the Masters, World Cup, Super Bowl and Olympics, for 20 years.
Gordon Farrar: The 1946 graduate of Bremerton High broke the Washington State record in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 4 inches his sophomore year. Farrar, who was 5-foot-8, tore up his knee playing American Legion baseball in the summer and thought his track and field career was over, but he was talked into turning out again while returning to school while studying for his masters in Mechanical Engineering. Farrar won the long jump at the Pacific Coast Conference Track and Field Championships. His winning jump (24 feet, 4 inches) was the second longest by a college athlete that year. He was invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials, but declined because he’d previously committed to completing his plumbing apprenticeship in Alaska.
Paula Grande: The 1990 North Mason grad guided her alma mater’s softball team to a 311-69 record and a state championship and six district titles during her 15 seasons with the Bulldogs. She was inducted into the Washington State Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013.
Cindy Guy: She’s coached gymnastics for 33 years at Bainbridge, leading the Spartans to a state championship and three other top-four finishes. She’s coached three state all-around champions. The Spartans won 115 straight Metro League meets at one point.
The Hansen Brothers: They (Jim and Dave) ran Pro Competition and Top Alcohol dragstars from 1960 to the ‘80s. They own the 1972 Northwest NHRA championship and were world record holders at one time and won multi-time NHRA Division 6 races.
Bruce Larson: The 1969 West High grad held the school scoring record (40 points). He played on a state championship junior college team at Tacoma and powerhouse teams at the University of Puget Sound before setting into a 40-year teaching career in the Central Kitsap School District. He’s coached 36 of those years. He’s currently the athletic director and varsity boys and girls basketball coach at Central Kitsap Junior High. His girls teams have won 56 games in a row and are 183-29 under his guidance.
The Raines family: Belfair’s Raines Gang (father Dave and sons Darrell and Doug, and Doug’s son Jason) have won everything from regional to state to national titles on motorcycles.
Joe Sherk: Sherk was the sports editor at The Sun in the 1960s before moving on to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Tacoma News Tribune. After 18 years as a sports writer, the South Kitsap grad worked as a media/public relations professional for over 30 years in NHRA drag racing. He represented many of the greatest drag racers in the history of the sport.
Paul Stoffel: The former all-state center from West High earned a scholarship to Washington State, but ended his college career as a starting linebacker at Central Washington. Stoffel returned to Bremerton in 1969 and assisted his former coach, Chuck Semancik, before taking the head job at Central Kitsap. He coached the Cougars from 1971-75, going 35-13-1 and reached the state playoffs twice. His father, Vaughn Stoffel, a four-sport letterman at the University of Puget Sound, is already in Kitsap’s Hall of Fame.
Tommy Thompson: The Central Kitsap grad was a first-team all-state selection in golf at Olympic College in 1966 and ’67, helping the Rangers win state titles both years. He also played basketball at OC, and went on to earn All-Evergreen Conference honors in golf at Central Washington. His 41-year coaching highlights include 12 league championships as the head golf coach at Central Kitsap and a 288-90 record that included 14 league championships as the boys basketball coach at CK Junior High.
Gordy Wood: The 1986 Olympic High grad and tight end set records at Wyoming, catching 151 passes while helping the Cowboys win a pair of Western Athletic Conference titles and go to two Holiday Bowls. He played for Doug Smith at Olympic High, and later coached quarterback Alex Smith (Doug’s son) and future Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush at Helix High in San Diego. He’s currently coaching at West Valley H.S. in Hemet, California.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS OF BEING ELECTED TO THE HALL OF FAME?
The Kitsap Athletic Roundtable accepts nominations from the public. Mail your nomination with information supporting your nominee to the Kitsap Athletic Roundtable; P.O. Box 5707, Bremerton, WA, 98312. The KAR has a six-person HOF committee that goes over nominations. Discussion starts in the early spring. By summer, the list has been whittled down to about 25 or 30. By September, the HOF committee takes a final vote and makes final arguments for candidates. Believe me, we’ve got a long list of candidates, but if you think we’ve overlooked someone deserving, please let us know.
(Dick Thompson, Dan Haas, Jodee Strickland, Chris Horn , Tim Quimby and yours truly were on the HOF committee this year. This was my second year).
